Roots of change: How e-governance is transforming Grameen Bharat
With nearly 900 million people living in rural India, the effectiveness of our Panchayati Raj Institutions will shape the trajectory of the nation's development. A developed Panchayat is not merely a component of a developed India—it is the bedrock upon which a Viksit Bharat will be built.
Some moments do more than mark a milestone, they illuminate a journey. The selection of four Panchayati Raj initiatives for the prestigious National Awards for e-Governance 2026 is one such moment, a moment that belongs not to any single office, but to every Gram Panchayat and citizen who has placed their faith in a digitally empowered rural India. Inspired by the vision of Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, India's Panchayats are writing a new chapter of trust, technology and transformation.
As we mark twelve transformative years of good governance under Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, this recognition is a fitting milestone, reflecting how Panchayati Raj Institutions have grown from mere implementing arms of schemes into confident, capable, technologically agile institutions of the third tier of governance.
The National Awards for e-Governance, instituted by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, represent the highest national benchmark for excellence in technology-enabled service delivery. Of 17 projects honoured across 7 categories this year, 4 belong to the Panchayati Raj sector, the natural outcome of twelve years of investment in an enabling environment for grassroots innovation.
The Panchayat Advancement Index, flagship instrument of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj for measuring Gram Panchayat performance, has received the Gold Award for Digital Transformation through Data Analytics. Before it was conceived, there was no standardised, data-driven framework to assess the performance of over 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats. Today, it creates a transparent feedback loop connecting data, performance, recognition, and community participation.
Equally heartening is the recognition secured directly by two Gram Panchayats. Kadepur Gram Panchayat, Sangli district, Maharashtra, won the Gold Award for Grassroots Level Initiatives, having built a digital ecosystem delivering over 1,300 services online through artificial intelligence and blockchain. Bijoy Nagar Gram Panchayat, West Tripura, won the Silver Award, with own source revenue up nearly 194 per cent and full digital literacy among its women. Nandurbar Zilla Parishad's Health Department secured the Gold Award for District Level Initiatives through e-Aarogya Dhamni, strengthening access to quality healthcare services for tribal communities in remote areas.
Together, these awards tell us something significant. Excellence in e-governance is no longer confined to State capitals or district headquarters; it now resides equally in our villages and Gram Sabhas. Over 1.65 lakh Gram Panchayats from 30 States participated this year, reflecting the institutional confidence we have nurtured together.
This did not happen by chance. Over the past twelve years, the Ministry has steadily equipped Panchayats with better tools. The e-GramSwaraj platform has digitised planning, budgeting, and payments for over 2.59 lakh Panchayats, enabling online transactions worth more than Rs 3.16 lakh crore through the Public Financial Management System. SabhaSaar, powered by artificial intelligence in 23 Indian languages, prepares Gram Sabha minutes within minutes for over 1.35 lakh Panchayats. The Meri Panchayat App, downloaded over 1 crore times, places development information in citizens' hands.
Alongside these strides, the SVAMITVA Scheme has completed drone surveys across 3.30 lakh villages and prepared 3.19 crore Property Cards for 1.94 lakh villages by mid-June 2026, strengthening property rights and credit access for rural families. Under the Fifteenth Finance Commission, grants worth Rs 2.82 lakh crore, the highest ever release percentage, were released to Rural Local Bodies. The Sixteenth Finance Commission has now recommended Rs 4.35 lakh crore for 2026 to 2031, an increase of nearly 84 per cent.
To carry this vision further, the Ministry has launched a series of Regional Workshops on Service Delivery titled 'Seva Se Samriddhi: Panchayat-led Service Delivery', bringing together Panchayat representatives, district officials, and domain experts to deepen citizen centric delivery in health, education, livelihoods, infrastructure, to name a few. By showcasing successful local models and enabling peer learning across States, they carry this vision directly to the grassroots. The potential for replication is immense, and Panchayats across the country are increasingly aspiring to adopt these models, drawing inspiration from one another and from institutions recognised at NAeG 2026, to deliver prosperity through service in their own villages.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has consistently emphasised that good governance is governance that makes life easier for citizens. Ease of Living, achieved through transparent, technology-enabled systems, is the truest measure of a government's intent and capability. It is a universal truth that to honour others is, in turn, to be honoured. By empowering Panchayats with digital tools and trusting their capacity to deliver, the Central Government has paved the way for the nation to be recognised on this important platform.
As India looks ahead to Viksit Bharat by 2047, the role of empowered Panchayats becomes more central. With nearly 90 crore citizens in rural India, the strength of our Panchayati Raj Institutions will determine the pace of our collective progress. Viksit Panchayat is not separate from Viksit Bharat, it is its very foundation.
These four awards are markers of momentum, an encouragement to every Sarpanch, Panchayat Secretary, and woman representative working at the grassroots, that their efforts are seen and celebrated. Twelve years of consistent efforts have created the enabling environment for such excellence to emerge. From the recognition earned at NAeG 2026 to the growing momentum of Seva Se Samriddhi workshops across the country, this success reaffirms that e-governance has truly taken root in Grameen Bharat, and that the journey of Viksit Panchayat building Viksit Bharat continues to gather strength with every passing year.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has consistently emphasised that good governance is governance that makes life easier for citizens. Ease of Living, achieved through transparent, technology-enabled systems, is the truest measure of a government's intent and capability.
Prof. SP Singh Baghel is Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj; Views presented are personal.
